In the fast pace of modern Western society and particularly in the United States, it is not uncommon for automobile travelers and commuters to have a snack or quick breakfast while on the way to work. Similarly, parents traveling with a small baby will change the baby's diaper under a variety of circumstances. Additionally, no convenient and compact accessory uniformly adapted for such multi-purpose and diverse activities is presently available and the traveler is usually compelled to improvise by either using any available fabric or paper towel, or a specialized product to assist in such diverse activities.
For example, if one is eating or drinking a beverage in a moving vehicle, it is not uncommon for particles of food or crumbs to drop or the beverage to spill on their clothing which may and usually results in unsightly soils and stains. To minimize such soiling and staining of their clothing, many commuters have utilized various ways to protect their clothing against such spillage, such as by using sip-type mugs having a funnel-like cover or straw insert of the type frequently found in baby products. Bibs, of course, are also well known to protect small babies and young children from the droppings and spillage that invariably occur when eating. However, bibs for use by drivers who snack on-the-move have not generally found wide acceptance probably due to the ineffectiveness of such bibs to perform their intended function.
Bibs are usually composed of a plastic sheet material which has several disadvantages that tend to make such bibs unacceptable for use by the average adult. First, food particles and liquids have a marked tendency to drop from or run-off such plastic surfaces. Moreover, conventional bibs do not have a self-contained storage means and as such, after each use, the bib must generally be washed off and dried before storage. Although some disposable bibs are plastic coated paper, such bibs have only a limited capacity to absorb and retain liquid spills. Moreover, even textile fabric bibs adapted for reuse are usually made up of some type of textile fabric which will not prevent the liquid from penetrating through the fabric so as to provide adequate protection for the user's clothing.
Additionally, persons who go to concerts, sporting events, and on hiking expeditions, frequently end up sitting on wet or dirty seating areas. Other than the conventional stadium cushion, there is no multi-purpose article presently available which can be conveniently carried by a person on such occasions.
The principal object of the present invention is to provide an article of manufacture that can be easily used by commuters who eat-on-the-run and which is adapted during usage to catch and retain beverage spills and crumbs dropped thereon.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a multi-purpose article of manufacture that can be used by travelers for a wide range of applications such as personal hygiene, toiletry applications and as a mat to sit on when they encounter wet or dirty seating areas.